This is so pretty! Admittedly, I thought when I was 12 it was a name I made up from Roxanne and Lana, two equally pretty names, for a Pokemon trainer. I think Roxelana Abigail would be a pretty combination too.
I think it's really pretty, but it would be hard to take seriously on a modern person, as well as kind of pretentious. You're better off using Roxana instead.
It derives from the Italian word "rosso/a", meaning (in the context of a person) "ginger-headed", "redhead". It's not Ukrainian, nor Turkish, nor Ruthenian - as far as I know, the Venetians came up with that name. That's why in 'Magnificent Century' Hurrem/Roksolana is red-haired. However, all of her portraits picture her differently, and frankly most were painted even after her death, so it's hard to tell how she actually looked like.
This name is magic. And totally gorgeous and mystical. I love Roxana and all its variants, but Roxelana is just so much cooler and more beautiful and sophisticated. I like the Lana ending; it makes it more exotic and complex than Roxana. I like this name's complexity, it has so much history and culture behind it; Roxelana was an Empress of the Ottoman Empire, and I like the meaning's ties to Ukraine. But it still sounds very modern and cool and youthful. Roxelana makes me think of a rebel, a young woman who's cool, independent, and unconventional, with good tastes in music and fashion. Though I do think it would take someone with the right personality to pull of a name as dramatic and eye-catching as Roxelana. One of the good things about this name is that if people find it difficult, she could go by Roxy, Roxa or Lana.
― Anonymous User 2/14/2010
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I have heard this name pronounced 3 ways:RAHKS-uh-lah-NAH RAHKS-eh-lah-NAH RAHKSA-lah-na